Horse hay-rake



(No Model.)

' J. G.'ROY.

HORSE HAY RAKE.

No. 275,789. Patented Apr.10,1883.

FIG-.6-

UNITED STATES F FICE.

PATENT HORSE HAY-RAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 275,789, dated April 10, 1883.

Application filed October 7, 1882.

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Horse Hay-Rakes, of which the following specification is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, making part of the specification.

Myinvention-relates toimprovementsin both hand-dumping and self-dumping rakes, the improvements, so far as they relate to handdumping rakes, being common to the selfdumping rakes also.

The novelty consists in the construction and combination of the parts composing my improved rake, as will be herewith set forth and specifically claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a sectional side elevation of a hand-dump rake containing my improvements. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the bottom, the rake-head, andits attachments. Fig. 3 is a plan view of so much of a self-dump rake as is necessary toillustrate my invention. Fig.4 is an enlarged sectional view through the rake-head and one of the wheelspindles and tie-strap. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail view, partly in section, through the le-- ver-housing in elevation. Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail view of part of the lever-housing, with bell-cran k arm attached. Fig. 7 is an enlarged plan view of the lever-housing, showing the spring, the lever in section, and the bell-crank.

The same reference-letters indicate like parts in all the figures.

The thills A, cross beams or girths B O, and seat-beam D are of the usual or any suitable construction, and form the frame-Work or platform of the rake.

The rake-head E is a wooden beam, not so thick as ordinary rake-heads, and is braced against flexure by the slotted guide-board F, secured upon its rear edge, and by the teethretaining strip G upon its front face and edge. The rake-teeth H, of the usual form, are passed seriatt'm through the vertical slots in the guideboard F, and have their bent-down or hooked front ends secured by the strip G in tapering slots cut in the front face of the rake-head and in the under side of the strip, by which they (No model.)

are allowed slight independent vertical play, limited by the length of the slots in the guideboard F. The supporting-wheels I revolve upon spindles or stub-axles J', which are secured to the under side of the rake-head, at its ends, in the following manner, particular reference being bad to Figs. 2 and 4:: Metal bearing-boxes or sleeved blocks K, through which the spindles are passed, and in which, at their exposed portions, they are partially recessed, are applied to the under side of the rake-head at each end, and a U-shaped bolt, a, embracing the spindles, is passed up through the blocks and rake-head, and is secured by nuts screwed upon its upper ends. The inner ends of the spindles rest in recessed blocks 1) upon the under side of the rake-head, and are each secured by a single bolt, 0, passed down through the rakehead, the block, and the perforated spindle. To hold the spindles more securely in line,'and to aid in bracing the rake-head, I employ a metal strap or bar, L, which is united to the spindles at its ends by the same bolts, 0, which connect the spindles, blocks 1), and rake-head. This tie-strap is furthersupported by the brackets M, which form the hinges, to which the thills are connected by the straps e, to which brackets itis secured by the same bolts,f,which connect the brackets to the rake-head.

O is an arm projecting up from the rakehead, and connected to the rear curved end of the hand-lever by the usual adjustable link, P. The hand-lever R is pivoted in a housing, S, which is secured to and between the girths B O in any suitable manner. This housing is preferably a hollow casting, through which the lever passes, and in which it plays upon its pivot g. The width of the lever-opening is sufficient to allow the lever free play and form a guide for the same. At the front end of the lever-opening there is an offset,with a shoulder, s, in which offset and against which shoulder the lever rests while the rake is at work, and from which it has to be drawn out before the lever can be drawn back to tilt the rake. To insure the lever entering this offset when the teeth drop back to work, I employ a flat curved spring, T, which is bolted to the inner wallof the housing, and bears at its forward end against the lever and forces the same into the offset when the lever reaches the proper place,

as will be readily understood. To draw the lever out of the offset automatically when the rake is a self-dumping one, the spring should pass around the front and outer side of the lever, as in Fig. 7 and then be bent back again on itself, with its projecting end turned half around and slotted to receive the upward-projecting end of a bell-crank arm, i, which is pivoted in lugs h upon the side of the housing, as shown in Figs. 6 and '7. The rear end of the arm 5 extends upward under a treadle, U, pivoted in ears j upon the girth C, so that pressing with the foot upon the treadle causes the springT to be drawn back, and with it the hand-lever, which is thus freed from the offset and can travel back in the housing-opening as the rake is tilted.

Any form of self-dumping mechanism may be employed. I have illustrated a form in Fig. 3, where ratchets revolve in shields t, and

dogs it, upon the end of a rod, m,journaled to the rake-head, can be caused to engage with the ratchets by the forward oscillation of the rod. This forward oscillation is caused by the treadle U, which has an upward rear extension connected by' a chain or link, k, to an upright arm. I, secured upon therod m, as shown. Thus the same movement of the foot which breaks the lock of the hand-lever sets the self-dumping mechanism into action. Upon the thills are cross-braced uprights a b, to which are pivoted two rearward and downwardly extending rods, a, threaded at their lower ends for some distance. These rods pass through the stripper-bar d, which rests on the teeth and carries the usual stripper-teeth, e, and are secured to the same by adjusting-nuts f on each side of the stripper-bar, whereby the adjustment of the stripper-bar up or down on the teeth may be regulated as desired.

I am aware that it has been proposed to brace the rake-heads of horse-rakes by means of the truss-rod, passed at its ends through the axle and bolted against socket-plates upon the outer ends thereof; but such a construction would not, as in my case, serve to both brace 1the rakehead and hold the wheel-spindles in Having thus described my invention, I claim-- 1 In a horse hay-rake, the combination, with the rake-head provided with spindles secured upon its under side, of a tie-strap uniting the ends of said spindles and serving to hold the spindles in line and brace the rake-head, sub stantially as described.

2. The combination of the housing S, the spring T, secured therein and of the shape described, the hand-lever R, the bell-crank arm i, the treadle U, and self-dumping mechanism, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. The combination of the spindles J, sleeves K, blocks 1), hingebrackets M, tie-strap L, and their connecting-bolts, with the rake-head, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

JOHN (J. ROY. Witnesses S. P. MCCORMICK, J OHN HOWELL. 

